


as long as you want

by taejinyo



Category: NINE PERCENT (Band), 偶像练习生 | Idol Producer (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-17
Updated: 2018-05-17
Packaged: 2019-05-08 02:12:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14684282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/taejinyo/pseuds/taejinyo
Summary: zhengting stills. this is possibly the one man zhengting would want to avoid meeting the most at 2am in mcdonalds in his pajamas. “h-hi, xukun,” he stutters.“zhengting,” xukun says politely. “i didn’t expect to see you here.”





	as long as you want

chengcheng is a cute kid, sometimes. 

 

he gives great, engulfing hugs that surround zhengting with warmth when he’s sad, and he pouts cutely when justin teases him; and even though he always laughs at zhengting for getting scared by shadows in the middle of the night, he always makes sure that there’s a glass of water and a sleeping pill on zhengting’s bedside table. 

 

zhengting tries to remember all of these things when his phone rings at two in the morning, the familiar blaring ringtone breaking through his sleepy haze. he reaches out blindly, fumbling around until he manages to answer the call. “you better be fucking dying right now, or i’m hanging up.”

 

“no!” chengcheng’s voice sounds tinny and panicked. “no, don’t hang up. i need you, please.”

 

immediately, zhengting shoots awake, swinging his legs off his bed and out his door. he grabs a jacket and slips on a pair of slides, not even bothering to change out of his pajamas. “what’s wrong? where are you? are you alone? send me your location, i’m coming, don’t move.” 

 

“no, i’m not alone. justin, linong and xiao gui are here with me.”

 

zhengting pauses as he gets into his car. his phone vibrates, and he checks to see where chengcheng is. “wait a second,” he can hear his own voice steadily rising in pitch. “why are you  _ at a club. _ ”

 

chengcheng laughs nervously, “uh, so, i can totally explain. there is an explanation. which i will explain, to you. maybe after you come pick us up?”

 

“fan chengcheng.”

 

“also, technically, we are now in mcdonalds, because justin had to throw up in the bathroom.”

 

zhengting does not want to deal with this. so he hangs up. less than twenty minutes later, he pulls up in the mcdonalds parking lot and steps out, slamming the door behind him. chengcheng is waiting for him by the back door, eyebrows drawn together guiltily. zhengting passes him by, his face like stone. chengcheng falls into step behind him, pushing through the door. 

 

“where are they,” zhengting says.

 

chengcheng motions to the left, and zhengting looks to see three boys slouched over a table in the corner. justin’s head is buried in his arms, hair mussed and frizzy. linong is rubbing his hand in circles on his back, but his own face is tired and weary. xiao gui is watching them, sipping a chocolate milkshake. his eyes flick up and he freezes when he catches sight of zhengting and chengcheng. fear sets in, and he kicks justin under the table, hard. stunned, justin jolts. it’s still not enough warning. silently, zhengting slides into the seat beside xiao gui, directly across from justin.

 

“hi,” he says, smile so sweet it’s chilling. “looks like you guys had a fun night.” no one says a word. zhengting takes a fry from linong’s tray. “sit down, chengcheng.” chengcheng obeys instantly. 

 

zhengting sits back, surveying the boys around him. somehow, in the dimly lit setting of a shitty mcdonalds, with four miserable kids sitting next to him looking like the world’s about to end, he’s hit with a deafening wave of affection. his anger simmers, then slowly melts away. he sighs and wraps his arm around xiao gui’s shoulder, squeezing him into his side. justin gapes at him. “i’m glad you guys are okay,” zhengting says. 

 

“here’s what’s going to happen,” he continues. “i’m going to go get you all some water, and something a little more substantial than fries and milkshakes. then, you’re going to tell me how you three,” he shoots a sharp look around the table, “managed to drag nongnong into your stupid plans.” 

 

seriously. zhangjing might actually kill them. 

 

justin opens his mouth like he’s about to protest, but then thinks better of it and snaps his lips together. yeah, that’s what zhengting thought. linong smiles gratefully at the older boy, and zhengting returns it, ruffling linong’s hair as he gets up and walks towards the counter. 

 

surprisingly, there’s actually people in the line, even though it is 2am. zhengting taps his foot impatiently, moving forward automatically as he glances through the menu above the counter. before he knows it, it’s his turn to order, and he doesn’t even look down as he reads off his order. 

 

“two double quarter pounders, no, wait, make that three double quarter pounders; two buttermilk crispy chickens; and, uh, four sausage mcmuffins. with eggs.” he thinks about it for a second, before adding something for himself. “and an oreo mcflurry, please.” he looks at the person across the counter. 

 

the person across the counter, who is staring at him, mouth slightly open. 

 

zhengting stills. this is possibly the one man zhengting would want to avoid meeting the most at 2am in mcdonalds in his pajamas. “h-hi, xukun,” he stutters. 

 

“zhengting,” xukun says politely. “i didn’t expect to see you here.”

 

“yeah, i didn’t really, um, expect to be here.” zhengting takes a deep breath. he can already hear his heart thudding faster, can feel the telltale fluttering of butterflies in the bottom of his stomach. even now that he’s been in the same university with xukun for two years, it still feels like xukun gets more handsome with each passing day. 

 

xukun finishes ringing the order up and takes zhengting’s card. “is this all for you?” 

 

their fingers brush as xukun passes the credit card back. “what?” zhengting blinks. 

 

“the food,” xukun says again. “is it all for you?”

 

“oh!” zhengting flushes. “no, i’m here with my friends.” he gestures back at the table where his kids are waiting. xukun follows his motion, gaze sharpening as he sees the boys. 

 

“hm,” he says. 

 

zhengting wants to shake xukun by the shoulders.  _ what does ‘hm’ mean? _

 

“wait here,” xukun says. “i’ll help you carry everything back, it might be too much for one person.”

 

zhengting looks behind him. the line has vanished. the building seems almost deserted, save for a few customers dotting tables here and there. “okay,” he shrugs, trying to pretend his throat hasn’t gone dry. xukun walks out from behind the counter, holding two trays laden with burgers wrapped in paper. zhengting takes one. “thanks.”

 

“don’t worry about it,” xukun says. now that there isn’t anything between them, zhengting is hyperaware of exactly how much of a mess he looks. he can feel xukun’s eyes drift up from his bare feet in his slides up his blue striped pajamas, sweeping across his bare face and mussed hair. zhengting curls in on himself. this is the first time he’s seeing xukun outside of class and it has to be when his eyes are still puffy and he doesn’t even have any makeup on. they walk towards zhengting’s table, awkward silence permeating between them. 

 

“is one of them your boyfriend?” xukun asks, suddenly. 

 

zhengting exhales. “what,” he says dumbly. 

 

“everyone at school thinks you have a younger boyfriend hidden away somewhere, did you know that?”

 

_ “what.”  _ zhengting coughs out, voice strangled, as they reach the others. “no, never. they’re like my little brothers. right?” he directs this to justin, who raises his eyebrows curiously. “i’d never date you, that’s gross.”

 

“i’d be offended,” justin groans out, “but my head hurts too much.” 

 

zhengting and xukun place the trays on the table, and zhengting hands out the burgers without a word, already knowing exactly what the kids want. chengcheng rips apart the paper and starts devouring, juice dripping down the side of his cheek. “gross,” zhengting repeats, but it’s fond as he reaches forward to dab chengcheng’s face with a napkin. he stands up and looks at xukun, only to find xukun already staring at him. 

 

xukun coughs and glances away. 

 

“thanks again, xukun,” zhengting says. “and sorry, i know i must look like a disaster.” he gestures vaguely at himself. 

 

“no,” xukun slides his hands into his pockets. “don’t worry, you look cute.” 

 

zhengting can feel the inside of his brain exploding. he does not know how to process this, so he kind of flaps his mouth open and closed like a goldfish and chooses to ignore it. xiao gui is watching him closely, and he can practically see his thoughts flickering rapidly across his face. 

 

“you should sit with us.”

 

xukun looks at xiao gui, who pats the seat beside him. 

 

“xukun, right? there’s no one else here, i’m sure your manager or whoever won’t mind if you take a break for a couple of minutes.”

 

zhengting narrows his eyes. “you just want somebody else around because you think that means i won’t beat your ass for this bullshit.” 

 

xiao gui grins innocently. “maybe?”

 

“i don’t mind,” xukun says, before zhengting can say anything. 

 

“so, how do you know zhengting?” linong takes a bite of his food, before offering some to zhengting. zhengting shakes his head,  _ no thanks,  _ and points at his drink. he draws it towards him, cupping it in his hands as he takes tiny sips. 

 

“we go to the same school, and we’re in the same statistics class. also, i’m on the basketball team, and zhengting was in cheerleading last semester, so we saw each other a lot at games. what about you guys?”

 

justin lifts his head off the table, just a little. “you play basketball? that’s cool.” his gaze darts towards zhengting knowingly, and zhengting regrets ever telling justin about Cute Basketball Boy. “me, chengcheng and zhengting used to be neighbours. xiao gui and linong go to the same school as us, and zhengting kind of just adopted them?”

 

xukun nods. “what university do you guys go to?”

 

“oh, no,” chengcheng interjects. “we’re in high school.”

 

xukun’s eyes widen. 

 

“yes,” zhengting takes the opening and places his mcflurry down gingerly. “you are in high school, aren’t you? so do you want to explain to me  _ why exactly you were drunk at a club at two in the morning. _ ”

 

chengcheng blanches. 

 

“first of all, justin, you’re sixteen. and you look fucking twelve. what kind of shitty fake are you carrying that somehow managed to convince someone that you’re allowed out of the womb, let alone of legal age?” zhengting snaps his fingers at him. “give it here.” justin hesitates, but one look at zhengting’s pursed lips has him shoving his entire wallet into the older boy’s outstretched hand. zhengting doesn’t even look at it before putting it in his jacket pocket. he snaps his fingers once, twice, thrice more. 

 

without a word, linong, xiao gui and chengcheng drop their fakes on the table in front of them. 

 

to zhengting’s surprise, xukun collects them all and sweeps them towards zhengting. “don’t be too hard on them,” he says, smiling. then his smile turns into a smirk, and he adds, “it’s not like you never get into any trouble either, zhengting.”

 

blood rushes to the tips of his ears. “that - xukun, no,” zhengting pouts. “you’re not supposed to be on their side!”

 

he watches xukun lean in close towards him, and grab zhengting’s mcflurry, bringing the straw to his mouth and sucking in. “you should call me kunkun,” he remarks offhandedly. he licks his lips a little. “for some reason, this tastes especially good today.”

 

“i - what -  _ kunkun.”  _ zhengting sputters. 

 

“see? it sounds good when you say it,” xukun says. “but seriously,” he turns his attention back to the three teenagers. “i think it’s okay since you guys are at the age where you want to play around a little, but try not to worry zhengting too much. be careful.”

 

the expression in xukun’s eyes is so gentle and soft, zhengting thinks his heart is skipping every other beat. what started out as one of the worst nights of his life has ended up like one of his dreams. but then of course, one of the brats has to open his mouth and ruin it. 

 

“wait just one second,  _ kunkun,”  _ justin scowls, suddenly looking a lot more sober. “you can’t just  _ dad us _ because you want to get into zhengting’s pants.”

 

chengcheng looks shocked for a second, like the thought had never even crossed his mind, but then instantly he joins justin. he points a fry accusingly at xukun. “yeah, what he said.”

 

“ _ oh my god.”  _ zhengting turns around and smacks chengcheng’s shoulder, flush rising high on his cheekbones. “stop  _ talking.” _

 

then xukun grins wide and unapologetic. “oh,” he says. “was i that obvious?”

 

“ _ yes,”  _ justin hisses. 

 

linong nods his head. “really though, xukun. zhengting already likes you, you should stop teasing him.”

 

zhengting cannot believe this. he never expected this kind of betrayal from his one good child, the one member of this family he thought he could trust. that’s it, he’s giving linong back to zhangjing and yanjun, they can raise him themselves. 

 

“i’m going to leave now,” he declares. “fuck all of you, you can go die.” he stands up, turns, walks three steps away when the past two minutes sink in. 

 

he whips around so fast it burns a little. “wait, did you say  _ get into my pants,”  _ he squawks. 

 

“you like me?” xukun says, his face stretched into a giant, joyous smile. “for real?”

 

“uh,” says zhengting intelligently. 

 

“oh my god,” xiao gui rolls his eyes. “give me your phone,” he doesn’t wait for a response before stealing it from xukun’s pocket and dialing in a number. “this is zhengting’s number. text him tonight, tomorrow, whenever. he’s unemployed and alone, date him.” he drops xukun’s phone on the table and stands up. “you’re welcome.”

 

chengcheng and linong get up too, shakier on their feet. it takes linong’s support to actually get justin to stand, especially because justin is still focusing all his energy on glaring at xukun. “i’m watching you,” he warns, as he staggers backwards. 

 

“i don’t accept you as my father,” chengcheng says. “but thanks for tonight.” he tosses everyone’s trash into the trays and slides it to xukun. xukun picks them up, good-humoured.

 

zhengting is still frozen open-mouthed, and he finally jolts alive when xukun comes to a stop beside him. “this isn’t how i expected this to happen,” he says softly, just for zhengting. “but i really do mean it.” he cups zhengting’s cheek with one hand. “get home safe.”

 

“yeah,” zhengting breathes out, leaning into xukun’s touch. “you too.”

 

“i won’t kiss you here,” xukun says. “because you deserve better than mcdonalds, and because i think justin would actually punch me.” 

 

zhengting laughs, a high-pitched tinkling that rings in the air. “you’re not wrong.”

 

“i’ll text you,” xukun promises. 

 

“you better.”

 

“go get your kids home now,” xukun says. “and go easy on them.” he taps zhengting on the cheek and lightly pushes him towards the door, where justin is waiting for him impatiently. even as justin shoves him away, zhengting glances back. xukun is still standing there, trays in his hand, stupid grin splitting his face in half.

 

zhengting ducks his head, burying his own smile into the crook of justin’s shoulder.

 

maybe he won’t disown the kids just yet. 

 

_ maybe. _

  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> come talk zhengkun with me on twt!!! @zhngzyi


End file.
